Fill valve for liquified gas lighter



y 1967 SEHCHI KITABAYASH! 3,319,670

FILL VAL\E FOR LIQUIFIED GAS LIGHTER Filed Sept. 18, 1964 INVENTOR SEIICHI KITABAYASHI BY MMM ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice' 3,319,670 Patented May 16, 1967 3,319,670 FILL VALVE FOR LIQUIFIED GAS LIGHTER Seiichi Kitabayashi, 22246 Nishisugamo, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan Filed Sept. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 397,553 Claims priority, application Japan, Sept. 26, 1963, 38/ 50,702 2 Claims. (Cl. 141-236) The present invention relates to fill valves to be mounted on the fuel reservoir of a liquified gas lighter for charging liquified gas fuel into the same from a fuel supply container containing compressed liquified gas.

An object of the present invention is to rovide fill valves for liquified gas lighter having means for exhausting gas from the lighter fuel reservoir during fuel charging operations of the valve for preventing an accumulation of vaporized gas in the fuel reservoir but having only simple passage means for charging the liquified fuel and exhausting gas as well as valve means for controlling said passages.

Another object of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

Heretofore, fill valves for gas lighters were provided with a passage for exhausting gas from the lighter fuel reservoir for preventing an insuflicient filling of the fuel from a fuel supply container due to any gas pressure increase in said lighter fuel reservoir, which passage for exhausting gas and havin means for opening the same during the charging operations are known.

And, known devices for achieving the purpose of preventing an accumulation of gas in the fuel reservoir during filling operations are concerned with how to provide a charging valve for opening and closing the passage for charging liquified gas a swell as how to rovide separately from said valve an exhaust 'valve for opening and closing another passage for exhausting gas.

In accordance with such known structures of charging and exhaust valves a fill valve results which necessarily in a complex structure. And, it would be by itself and in every meaning, technically or economically, a considerable disadvantage to provide such a complex structure in such small parts as fill valves for liquified gas lighter.

According to my research liquified gas fuel is charged smoothly into a gas lighter fuel reservoir until at a certain stage of the charge, or until gas pressure resulting from the charge increases to a certain degree. After such a stage the charge of fuel becomes gradually more difiicult and then stops at the balancing point of the pressures in the fuel reservoir and the fuel supply container.

Based upon such facts, it would not have practically any significance whether the opening and closing stages of the above-mentioned exhaust valve or charging valve should be first.

Besides, in known fill valves having a charging valve and an exhaust valve, good care has been taken for separating the passage for charging fuel from the passage for exhausting gas. However, according to my research relative to this point, no advantage in the separation of both said passages has been found, provided that, principally no liquified gas immediately after charging, is exposed to outer air causing an acceleration of vaporization, or no liquified gas itself is discharged from the fill valve.

Through the above-mentioned research and consideration I have found simple means for filling gas lighters with fuel by which means the fuel reservoir of a gas lighter is filled sufiiciently with liquified gas :fuel and loss of gas during charging operations is small. Of course, no clear differences between a passage for charging fuel and a passage for exhausting gas as well as no distinctions between a charging valve and an exhaust valve which differences have characterized known fill valves does exist in the present fill valves for gas lighter. The agent which produces the most important effect on the whole fill valve is the character of the sealing member for controlling the opening and closure of the valve.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention will be pointed out in the annexed claims, the invention itself as to its objects and advantages and the manner in which it may be carried out may be better understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a fill valve according to the present invention shown in its closed position.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the above-mentioned valve shown in its charging position.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of another fill valve according to the present invention shown in its half closed position; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the above-mentioned second fill valve shown in its charging position.

A fill valve for liquified gas lighter according to the present invention comprises a fixed member 1 composed of a cylindrical body for being fixed to an opening in the wall of a liquified gas lighter fuel reservoir, a movable member 2 provided with an axial bore 4 for engaging a fuel supply container discharge orifice receives an upward axial force from spring 5 within the cavity of said fixed member 1, and a sealing member 3 is fixed by said fixed member 1 for controlling the communication between the said axial bore 4 and the said fixed member cavity by axial movements of said movable member 2, which sealing member 3 is composed of a porous and elastic material.

The operations and effects of the present invention will be explained as follows: FIG. 1 is shown as an example of the present invention in which the valve is closed. Said annular sealing member 3 of an elastic sponge is pressed on the fixed member annular portion 5: by the brim 7 of said movable member 2. The pressed portion 11 of said sealing member is subjected to a compression which causes the material of the same to be closed and to lose gas permeability. As a result of such effects the gas encased in the valve chamber 9 within the fixed member and which has a pressure of about 2 to 5 kg./cm. does not pass through the sealing member 3 for moving out into the outer air.

When the discharge orifice 6 of a fuel supply container engages the upper portion of the movable member tubular portion 10 and said movable member 2 is pressed downwards the sealing member 3 extends axially by its own elasticity and the side orifice 12 for leading the movable member axial bore 4 to outer air, opens under the sealing member 3 lower side. Accordingly, the liquified gas discharged from the discharge orifice 6 is injected into the gas lighter fuel reservoir.

At that operation stage, as the sealing member becomes extended, the member material being porous and the gas permeability having been recovered, the valve chamber 9 communicates with the outer air by the minute pores in said sealing member material. However, since the pores in the porous material are resistant to the passage of a fluid, the liquified gas flowing out of the side orifice 12 would not be permitted to pass to the atmosphere. Accordingly, said liquified gas can never be lost immediately by vaporization. So, the liquified gas accumulates in the lighter fuel reservoir by passing through the valve chamber 9 and vaporized gas of said fuel begins to pass through said sealing member when the gas pressure in the fuel reservoir and the valve chamber reaches a certain degree by the accumulation of said fuel gas. Consequently, the pressure in the fuel reservoir can never be raised above a certain low standard, and the liquified gas fills until the liquified fuel surface reaches about the sealingmember level.

Another example of the present invention which is shown by FIGS. 3 and 4 has an operation and results which are substantially equal to the example of the above description of the first form of the invention. However, in the present fill valve the pore density in the sealing member 3 material at the valve open position, which isshown by FIG. 4 is considered especially as follows: The movable member tubular portion has a narrow part in the vicinity of the side orifice 12. And, when the movable member 2 is pressed downwards the sealing member 3 is held against the angular portion of the fixed member 1 inner face by the upper end of said narrow part, and the sealing member material is subjected to a considerably large compression. Accordingly, the gas permeability of the sealing diminishes properly on account of the increase in its gas permeable pore density.

On the other hand, the same sealing member changes into an agent for passing gas from the valve chamber when the pressure in the fuel reservoir is raised to a certain degree. Consequently upon these actions an undesirable pressure increase in the fuel reservoir is prevented, resulting in a sufficient amount of fuel filling the fuel reservoir. A fill valve according to the present invention has no known passage for exhausting gas as distinguished clearly from passages for charging liquified gas fuel, as well as no known gas exhaust valve as distinguished from fuel charging valves. According to the present invention, nevertheless, the object for filling a sufficient amount of fuel by means of regulating inner gas pressure during charging operations is achieved and complex structures which have been a counterbalancing disadvantage for achieving such an object in known fill valves for liquified gas lighter are eliminated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A fuel fill valve for use with liquified gas lighters comprising a cylindrical :body having a bore opening at one end of said body, at least one opening communicating with said bore in the opposite end portion of said body and said bore having a restricted portion, a member slideably extending through said bore restricted portion and having an axial bore for engaging a fuel supply container discharge orifice, a sidefopening in communication with said axial bore and a shoulder, a sealing member composed of a soft porous and elastic material positioned between said shoulder and said body bore restricted portion and a spring positioned in said bore tending to hold said member shoulder against said sealing member compressing the same and positioning said member side opening with said sealing member between said member side opening and said body opening until said member is manually moved against said spring allowing said sealing member to expand permitting gas to pass through the pores thereof and positioning said member side opening in communication with said body opening.

2. A full fill valve for use with liquified gas lighters as claimed in claim 1 wherein said member has a narrowed portion adjacent said shoulder with said member side opening extending therethrough to said bore and an outwardly tapered shoulder on an opposite of said narrowed portion to said first mentioned shoulder and said sealing member having said narrowed portion slideably extending therethrough to be extended by said tapered shoulder during filling operation of the valve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,019,807 2/1962 Projahn 137-588 3,133,565 5/1964 Ikeda 137588 3,159,991 12/1964- Maltner 67-7.l

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

W. R. CLINE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FUEL FILL VALVE FOR USE WITH LIQUIFIED GAS LIGHTERS COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL BODY HAVING A BORE OPENING AT ONE END OF SAID BODY, AT LEAST ONE OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BORE IN THE OPPOSITE END PORTION OF SAID BODY AND SAID BORE HAVING A RESTRICTED PORTION, A MEMBER SLIDEABLY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BORE RESTRICTED PORTION AND HAVING AN AXIAL BORE FOR ENGAGING A FUEL SUPPLY CONTAINER DISCHARGE ORIFICE, A SIDE OPENING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID AXIAL BORE AND A SHOULDER, A SEALING MEMBER COMPOSED OF A SOFT POROUS AND ELASTIC MATERIAL POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SHOULDER AND SAID BODY BORE RESTRICTED PORTION AND A SPRING POSITIONED IN SAID BORE TENDING TO HOLD SAID MEMBER SHOULDER AGAINST SAID SEALING MEMBER COMPRESSING THE SAME AND POSITIONING SAID MEMBER SIDE OPENING WITH SAID SEALING MEMBER BETWEEN SAID MEMBER SIDE OPENING AND SAID BODY OPENING UNTIL SAID MEMBER IS MANUALLY MOVED AGAINST SAID SPRING ALLOWING SAID SEALING MEMBER TO EXPAND PERMITTING GAS TO PASS THROUGH THE PORES THEREOF AND POSITIONING SAID MEMBER SIDE OPENING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID BODY OPENING. 